Status quo is Latin for existing state. When we talk about the status quo, however, we often mean it in a slightly bad way. When people want to maintain the status quo, they are often resistant to progress. If you run for mayor of your town and come in to office with all sorts of new ideas, people may resent you for disrupting the status quo. – Vocabulary.com 

Everybody has the authority and opportunity to change the message. Do you want to know the message protesting sends? It sends the message that people want change and are still calm about it to actively organize. The message that rioting sends is that people are fed up and if there isn’t a significant step towards progress, things will only get worse.  

When people protest, people see it as news and go on about their business. But when people riot and when there’s violence involved, people stop and are forced to have an opinion. Violence has always been and will always be the turning point.

The fear that is placed in people’s hearts by rioters is the same fear police and people in power use against our communities every single day. Really think about that.

So tell me again why everyone is upset about the violence in Baltimore? While we all like to get on our high horse and preach violence is not the answer, it is deep rooted in a valid emotion – anger. 

It is unfortunate that people are using the death of Freddie Gray to express these long felt frustrations. But their feelings are valid and when you’ve been pushed to the point of no return and feel you have nothing to lose, shxt happens. 

Disrupt the status quo or forever be a victim of it.